Cecilia's POV
Nothing quite ruins a perfectly normal morning like seeing your boyfriend's ex-girlfriend dressed like she's walking a red carpet… in your office.
I was walking through the hallway, carrying a stack of files that felt like they weighed more than my entire dignity, when I saw her. Madison Lane. Legs for days, lips red as sin, and that smug look that could make even a saint punch a wall. She was leaning against Samuel's office door, chatting with his assistant like she belonged there.
What in the rom-com hell was happening?
I ducked into the break room faster than someone who saw their crush on a bad hair day. My heart pounded as I peeked through the blinds like a crazy stalker.
Why was she here?
I wasn't the jealous type—at least, I never used to be. But this was Madison. The woman Samuel used to date. The one he used to call "the one that got away" back in the old gossip loops.
Now she was here, smiling like she owned the building, flipping her hair like she was auditioning for a shampoo commercial.
And I, Cecilia Hart, was in a secondhand pencil skirt with a coffee stain.
Fantastic.
Samuel's POV
"She said she wanted to discuss a partnership," my assistant whispered as I entered my office.
"Partnership? What kind of—"
Then I saw her. Madison Lane. In a form-fitting white dress that could stop traffic, perched on my office chair like it was her throne.
"Samuel," she purred, standing to greet me. "You look... even better than I remember."
My jaw tightened. "Madison. This is unexpected."
She walked toward me, her heels clicking like warning bells in my head. "I couldn't stay away any longer. I've been thinking about us. About everything we could've been."
I blinked. Was this some kind of dream—or nightmare?
"We ended a long time ago," I said, keeping my voice firm.
"But did we really?" she leaned in, her hand brushing mine. "Look me in the eye and tell me you've moved on."
I cleared my throat. "I have."
She smirked, like she didn't believe me for a second. "Is it that secretary? Cecilia?"
I flinched. "She's not—"
"Oh, honey," she chuckled, stepping back. "You're still such a terrible liar."
Cecilia's POV
I don't know how long I stood in that break room, fuming and replaying her smug face in my head. Maybe I was overthinking it. Maybe she was just here for work stuff. Maybe she wasn't trying to wiggle her manicured fingers back into Samuel's life.
But then she walked out of his office smiling like a cat who'd just licked the cream, and I knew—I knew—I wasn't crazy.
I waited ten minutes before walking into his office. He looked up and smiled. "Hey, Cec."
"Hey," I said, coolly.
He paused. "Something wrong?"
"Nope. Nothing's wrong." Except for the glowing ex-girlfriend who looks like she eats girls like me for breakfast.
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You saw her."
"Who?" I said, playing dumb.
"Madison."
"Of course I saw her," I snapped, then regretted it. "I mean—she was kind of hard to miss."
"She showed up out of nowhere. I didn't invite her."
"I didn't say you did."
"I told her I've moved on. That I'm with you now."
That made my heart flutter. But I was too petty to show it.
"Oh, you did?" I raised an eyebrow. "Before or after she sat in your chair and called you honey?"
He stood up and walked around the desk. "You're jealous."
"No, I'm not."
He smirked. "You are."
"Am not."
"Then why are you redder than my tie?"
"I'm sunburned."
"We haven't been outside all week."
I groaned, then laughed in spite of myself. "Okay, maybe I was a little jealous."
He pulled me into a hug. "You have nothing to worry about. She's the past. You are my present... and my future."
I melted into him, inhaling his scent—fresh linen and confidence.
Then, because I wasn't about to let him get away too easily, I pulled back and said, "Fine. But if she shows up again wearing another bodycon dress, I'm putting glue in her heels."
He laughed out loud. "Deal."
Later That Day – Samuel's POV
I had to do more than just talk. I had to show her how serious I was.
So I sent her a text during lunch break:
"Meet me on the rooftop at 1 p.m. – Trust me 😉"
She replied:
"If you're proposing, I want tacos first."
God, I loved that woman.
When she arrived on the rooftop, the table I'd set up was waiting: two folding chairs, a mini bouquet of flowers, and takeout from her favorite taco place.
"You're not serious," she said, blinking at the setup.
"I'm dead serious," I grinned. "I promised tacos before the proposal, didn't I?"
She laughed. "You remembered."
"Of course I did. I remember everything about you."
We ate, we laughed, we even played stupid trivia. Then she looked at me and said softly, "Why me?"
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, you could have someone like her. Someone elegant, high-class. Not... me."
I took her hand. "Don't you ever say that. You are everything I want. You're smart, beautiful, funny—and you gave me Leo. You are my high-class."
She blinked away tears. "That's cheesy."
"And true."
Cecilia's POV
His words stirred something warm inside me, like hot cocoa on a cold night. I looked at him and saw not the CEO of Hartford Tech, not the man women like Madison chased—but the father of my child, the man who'd stayed through tantrums and tough days, who remembered my taco cravings and still looked at me like I hung the stars.
I was in trouble. I was falling again.
And this time, I wasn't sure I'd catch myself.